Robbery suspect set for preliminary exam in Hudsonville

Saturday

Apr 19, 2014 at 9:31 AM

By Jim.Hayden@hollandsentinel.com(616) 546-4274

A man who is charged with robbing a Hudsonville bank and fleeing police is scheduled for a preliminary exam next month.Todd Alan Kooiker, 51, of Hudsonville, was charged with armed robbery and fleeing a police officer fourth degree on April 11. He remains in the Ottawa County Jail on $200,000 bond.Armed robbery carries a penalty of up to life in prison.Fleeing a police officer fourth degree is punishable by up to two years in jail and/or a fine of not more than $500.The hearing is 1:30 p.m. May 6 at Hudsonville District Court, 3100 Port Sheldon Road, Hudsonville. A preliminary exam is a court hearing conducted to determine whether enough evidence exists to send a case to trial.At about 10:15 a.m. April 11, employees at the Community West Credit Union, 4205 32nd Ave. in Hudsonville, called police about a robbery. The suspect was a man dressed in women’s clothes. He was wearing a wig, a black floral dress and escaped with money in a purse. The suspect brandished a handgun, according to police scanner traffic.Deputies spotted the suspect on a motorcycle about 10:30 a.m. westbound on Port Sheldon Road where a deputy saw him discard the blonde wig. The motorcycle then went north on 96th Avenue reaching speeds near 100 mph before turning east on Fillmore Street, then turning around to head west, striking the patrol vehicle between 88th and 96th avenues.He was treated for his injuries at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids.

2 die in head-on crash on expresswayTwo people died in a head-on crash about 11:55 p.m. Tuesday on U.S. 131 near Plainwell in Allegan County.Jeremy Smeltzer, 29, of Portage, and Jaryd Ford, 21, of Plainwell, died and Megan Covey, 26, of Wayland, a passenger in one of the vehicles, received non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Michigan State Police Wayland Post.A pickup truck driven by Smeltzer was first seen northbound in the southbound lanes of U.S. 131 near D Avenue in Kalamazoo County. Two troopers with emergency lights and sirens activated encountered the pickup heading north as they were southbound on the highway and moved out of their lane to avoid being struck. As the pickup passed them, the vehicle struck head-on a Ford Mustang driven by Ford with his passenger Covey.Both vehicles caught fire, police said. Troopers extinguished the blazes and assisted occupants of both vehicles.Smeltzer was taken by helicopter to Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo where he was pronounced dead. Ford died at the scene. Covey was taken to Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo.All occupants were wearing seatbelts.

2 hurt in U.S. 31 crashTwo people from Spring Lake were injured in a crash on U.S. 31 at Lake Michigan Drive on Thursday, which closed the road for a short time.Randy Ulery, 36, and Crystal Ulery, 38, were taken to North Ottawa Community Hospital after the 11:40 a.m. crash in Grand Haven Township.Randy Ulery was driving a 1997 Plymouth van south on U.S. 31 and failed to stop at the intersection with Lake Michigan Drive, according to the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. Ulery’s vehicle struck a 2013 Ford box truck in the rear that was stopped at the red light. The truck driver, 19-year-old Zachary Ellis, of Stevensville, was not injured.The incident remains under investigation.— Follow Jim Hayden on Twitter@SentinelJim.